Cucumber agua fresca

We`re currently having burning, if not smoking, hot days here. The temperature hasn`t been moving from 33 or 35 Celcius for days, and on top of that, we don`t have an air conditioner in our apartment. Do we have trees outside our building? Nope. Big fat no. I`m very sad to say that we live in an area where trees are almost invisible and where most of the buildings are equipped with air conditioners that release hot air outside and makes the ambient temperature even higher!
So, in our biggest need of refreshment, I came across on a post showing a very appealing drink recipe at Simply Recipes. Thank you, Elise! Finding out how easy to make the drink, I headed to the store that very day and got all the ingredients, except for the lime, which I substituted with lemon. Not that we don`t have limes here, but lemons are far more budget-friendly to me at the moment.

And before I continue with the step by step, you might want to prepare your glass now, because this drink will be ready in a matter of minutes!
Glass in your hand? Good.

Trim off both ends of cucumbers, cut up, and put in a blender.

Then, add this beautiful, beautiful mint leaves. Beautiful. 
Smell is really good too! Fact: I`m crazy about anything minty.

Can I say it once more? Beautiful. Thank you.

Spritz in lemon juice. I actually added the pulp too.
Oh, I feel refreshed already.

And last ingredient is, honey. Or you can just use sugar, though.
I just think that lemon and honey marry perfectly.

Oh, we`re forgetting water! Alright, last ingredient (for real), water. I don`t really add too much water because the ice cubes we`ll add later will dilute the drink and make it less concentrated. But this is always about preference, so you should have fun with adjusting the composition until you get it right.
Go whiz up. Whizzzzzzz.....whizzzzzzzzz....

Alright, now here comes the confession. In other recipes for this agua fresca including Elise`s, the puree needs to be pushed through a sieve to get a solid-free liquid, but my husband and I prefer having the whole puree that still has some crunchiness of the cucumbers.
Whichever style you`d choose, pour the drink in the glass you`ve been faithfully holding, and add some ice cubes. Or, you can do it reversely by placing the ice in the glass first before pouring the drink over.


Cheeeeeers!!!

The fresca name really comes for a reason as this drink is incredibly refreshing! And addictive too! He said he wants some more, so I made it again. Two days in a row. That`s how thirsty we are.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized cucumbers
A handful of mint leaves
Lemon juice from 1 medium sized lemon
3 tbs honey
350 ml water
Ice cubes

Tofu rolls

I`m losing track on how often I get inspired-and of course, hungry-after reading fabulous posts on Jun`s blog. These tofu rolls for instance, was what came in my mind after a post on her beautifully baked spring rolls. Baked, everyone. Not fried. So, that left me no reason for not making the rolls. Have I told you how I always avoid deep-frying in my kitchen the best I can?

I initially intended to give it a try with the regular ready-to-use spring rolls skins, but then I wondered on the possibility of using fried tofu skin instead. And seaweed paper. And..oh let`s just scroll down the mouse.

So here`s how I made the rolls.
First thing first. Heat a bit of oil on a pan and saute your favorite choice of fish.
Fish fillet would work great here, but I used salted salmon still with  some bones attached. But the bones are relatively few and large, so removing them later would not be such a problem.
If fish isn`t your thing, just use  meat instead, or just omit the animal protein  completely if you want the rolls to be a whole-plant based diet.

Now, if you go with the fish, wait until the meat is cooked and then break apart with a spatula until it turned into flakes. And by the way, doing this is a lot easier when the fish is cooked through.
One important thing is, you need to remove all visible bones-I use chopsticks-before adding the next ingredients. Believe me, getting choked up with fish bones is no joke at all. If you serve these to kids and removing fish bones take too much time of yours, just go with fish fillet and your life will be easier.

After the fish, now throw in carrots and stir well.

And this is konnyaku noodle, with lots of fibers in it. And almost zero calories. Nice.
According to the package, the konnyaku needs to be blanched in boiling water to remove the alkaline smell. I actually don`t really have problem with the smell, but I just quickly soak it in hot water anyway and drain it.

Toss the noodle in.

Season with soy sauce, sugar (or mirin), vinegar, salt, and pepper. And if you`re happy with it, that means the fillings are done!

Now, the wrapping.
I hope you can find this kind of fried tofu at your place. If your fried tofu is thin enough to  roll, then you`re ready to go with the wrapping. But if you think it`s too thick-like what mine was-, cut throughout the edge open with a scissor and carefully pull it open with your hands, as if you`re flipping  open a book page, to make a  rectangular tofu skin that is half thinner and twice wider now.
Please don`t say you`re confused because sadly this is the only picture I`ve got, and worse, I have no better way  in explaining it verbally. So, fingers crossed, you all are good.

Now the seaweed paper. Cut it to make a roughly same size of sheet with the tofu skin.

Now get a sheet of tofu skin with the fried side down and then place the seaweed paper onto it. Arrange the fillings on the seaweed and spread it evenly along the edge.

Start rolling, tuck in the fillings, and continue rolling up.

I thought letting the rolls unsealed would cost me a nasty disaster, but these tofu skins behaved pretty nicely once they`re rolled. 

Bake them in 200 C for 15 mins or until the skins are all crisped up.

The rolls are done! 

You can cut them up into smaller pieces before serving. I actually tried to cut a roll into halves before baking them and they turned out alright too.

The rolls are crisp on the outside with chewy-thanks to the noodle-, and crunchy-thanks to the carrots- fillings inside. Lovely! I served them with soy sauce and a pinch of wasabi salt as I`m running out of my wasabi paste. Oh, that didn`t bother me at all, though. These rolls made my Sunday rock and roll!

Enjoy your weekend!

Ingredients:

Fried tofu skin
Seaweed paper
Salted salmon
Carrots
Konnyaku
Soy sauce
Sugar or mirin
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Bake at 200 C for 15 mins

Condiment
Soy sauce
Wasabi salt

Yaki udon (fried udon)

I love, love, love noodles. The Asian pasta, I call them. Aren`t they? And in Japan, although many people I know choose soba noodles as their favorites, udon  noodles are what I love the most. First time I had a bowl of tenpura udon in a canteen, I was surprised to see how thick the noodles were. But I was even more surprised at how smooth and lovely the texture was. And the chewiness, oh! I fell in love instantly that day.
As a noodle lover, fried noodles are what I often make in the kitchen, especially when I need some quick and easy meal. And this fried udon, is simply a winner with its simplicity.

Although udon noodles are usually thick, I use the thin ones for the fried noodles as I think  the sauce will seep better into the noodles.
Also, I always season the boiled noodles using my hands before I cook them - the noodles, not my hands - on the stove. I found this method makes my life easier since the noodles get evenly coated quicker and easier. You can try using chopsticks or tongs for this, but I think using hands is simply the best.
And this is where my udon noodles were already coated with soy sauce, kecap manis,  sesame oil, fish sauce, cayenne pepper, ginger (powder), coriander, salt, and pepper.

Heat a pan without oil in it and saute thinly sliced beef until they look done.

Mushrooms. I just can`t imagine what I`d do without them. Slice`em up.

And toss in.

Now comes in the seasoned noodles. Stir well.
You can add some more sauce and adjust the taste if you think you need to.

And to give extra less-guilt effect - don`t forget the mushrooms -, toss in sliced cabbage. That`s it? Well, it depends, the more guilty you feel about it, the more veggies you need to throw in. Oh, I`m kidding. More veggies will be GREAT! Cabbage was the only vegetable I had, but I usually add some bean sprouts and carrot too. They sure add a wonderful crunch to the dish.
Stir a while and then put a lid on the pan to help steam the cabbage (or other veggies you add in). Be careful not to leave it unstirred too long, though, because the noodles with the sauce coating easily get scorched. That`s why at this step I usually cook it on low heat.

As you can see, it`s sinfully greasy (and delish!). I won`t deny it.  But when I can`t stand with my cravings anymore, this is what I indulge in.
Happy eating!

Ingredients:

Beef

Udon

Soy sauce

Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
Sesame oil

Fish sauce

Cayenne pepper
Coriander

Pepper

Salt